1999 Kawasaki reviews

I bought my bike brand new in 1999, when I got a deal on it from a local Kawasaki dealer, who had too many blue ones (the best color in my opinion). This is an amazing machine, it is very comfortable, nimble and fast. I have started to settle down as a rider and have lost the racerboy wannabe attitude. I find this bike very pleasant to ride fast or slow. A great bike. Show less

I have owned this bike for a year now. The riding position is great not too bent over like a R1 or GSXR. That means you can put on 300-500 miles a day if you wanted to do a little sports touring. The bike handles great. I have ridden with guys with Aprilias to Yamaha Rl's. The ZX9r hangs with them in the twisty stuff. And pulls away in the straights. My bike has a Yoshimura carbon fiber RS3 exhaust. The bike makes about 140hp, which is plenty of power. I smoked a CBR954 the other day. Hands down this is the best all around sports bike made. Ask any one who's rode or has owned a ZX9r. And I have owned a few sport bikes. I love this bike Show less

This bike is sweet. This is my frist bike so I am still getting use to the power but the bike is still easy to ride. This is not a racing bike but more of a touring bike that you can ride for hours but don't get me wrong it is very fast (my ZX9 has gone 182mph on a track of couse) I am 5foot 11 and 200 pounds so this bike fits me great. Show less

I couldn't resist getting a used '99 with only 800 miles on it 2 years ago. The bike's a gas, although with 4 into 1 muffler and rejet done by the previous owner it eats gas, too (30 mpg) and premium at that! But it flies -I've had it over 120mph on the freeway - solidly. The handlebars were built for that speed. Unfortunately, the real world dictates you go slower, so invest in Heli-bars, unless you want a sore back. Around town it handles well, and it doesn't feel like 500+ lbs. The centerstand is a nice feature and works easy. You can now find soft saddlebags to make it a touring bike. A pair of Nelson Riggs Spheres only set me back $100. Compare that to what bags for cruisers cost! The aggressive seating position (less so, now with the Heli-bars) is something I want if I'm fighting traffic. It's easy to shift, and easy and fun to ride, once you get used to it. It's not perfect for me, but what the heck, at 51 I'm probably more suited to a wheel chair! If you want frame sliders for the ZX 11, good luck. I have yet to find any. One slow speed tipover scraped a portion of the half-fairing, but it didn't dampen my excitement for the bike. Show less

I bought mine with 10,000 miles in the spring of 2001. As of 10/03 it has almost 32,000 uneventful miles. On the plus side, it's got great looks, especially if you pull those Gawdawful ugly Samsonites off which I did literally the first minute it ever spent it my garage. I just can't understand for the life of me why anybody leaves them on. I ride over 8,000 miles a year and I haven't missed them yet, I can carry nearly everything I need under a bungee cord. On a trip I can see the point but with most of us and our around town riding, who needs those big, ugly "boxes" distracting from those sleek lines? And why doesn't Kawasaki ever show it in their brochures without them either? Take those hideous things off, put in the filler panels and everyone comes out of the woodwork and hangs all over it every time you gas up...which isn't often with a 7 1/2 gallon tank and 46 mpg! The engine runs like a bear on steroids and it never quivers. Gobs of power and total reliability with its bulletproof foundation. For a heavy bike the handling is fairly light and confidence-inspiring enough though at slow speed and working in and out of parking spaces you can have your hands full. Then again, with full fuel you have around 750 lbs. you're trying to muscle around so what do you expect? In all, it goes and handles like it looks...at least like it looks without those ugly effing bags! Add to that the reliability and simplicity of shaft drive and this bike is a tough act to follow...or keep up with for that matter...and a steal at only $8200. The fairing, though kind of dated in style still looks really good and does a great job of protecting the rider from the elements. After over 20 years of riding in the wind I don't know what I was thinking, I'm completely spoiled, at 35 degrees I'm riding with little more than the lining in the jacket and some decent gloves. A good downpour once and the top of my helmet and the cuffs around my pantlegs just got damp and that was it! On the minus side, I can't see what Kawi is thinking calling this a "touring" bike when an hour in the saddle and your arse is in agony from that nothing seat and your arms, wrists and elbows just ache all the way through to the bone. I'm 5"10" and 215 lbs. and this thing doesn't fit me and I don't know who it possibly can. I've been describing this thing as "torture" to ride though you do tend to get used to it. (?) I added the footpeg lowering kit (get out the oxy/acetylene kit to bend that shift lever, it's the only way I've found that you can make it work but it does) and that helped a lot but I still need to go with one of the aftermarket handlebar kits, I just haven't decided which one and I've heard rave reviews on the Corbin seat. One other problem was the windshield, it offers a lot of turbulence and the installation of the Rifle unit really made a difference. My only problem with the Rifle, I'm not overly crazy about the looks...it's okay but...and the forward vent that neutralizes pressure to elliminate that turbulence does a great job of scooping up all that aforementioned rain and depositing it right square in your face! You might want to try one of the other aftermarket screens but aside from that the Rifle does work nice. The bottom line, for about $9000, which is cheap when you think about it, you can buy a Concours, a footpeg lowering kit, a windscreen and a seat (all of which after 18 or so years of production Kawasaki hasn't figured out how to engineer yet, go figure!) rip off those horrible looking suitcases and have a killer bike that shows, goes like no tomorrow, handles like a slot car, is all-day rideable, tough as a railroad spike and as reliable as death and taxes. One more thing, I call it a "gentleman's crotch-rocket" but the insurance companies call it a cruiser/tourer...my insurance runs $57 per year...yee-haa! Show less

My KX250 screams it has one of the fastest 250 engines made with power all the way through the band it just never ends..... Top end is neck breaking.... its a 100mph+ bike Show less

I owned a '99 KLR for two years and liked it very much. Great gas mileage and capacity give a very long range. I took this bike (with Moose skid plate, off road footpegs, smaller counter shaft sprocket and knobbies)to the top of American Flag Mountain in Colorado and down Schoefield Pass (CO) with no troubles. It is better off-road that you would think, but you'll need real tires. Get rid of the stock crap soon. Back road charging through the twisties is also better than you would think. Front brake could use more stopping power, rear brake is useless. Valve adjustments will make you cry. Plastic bits don't like to be dropped. Seat is up there so short inseamed riders might be intimidated. Off-idle acceleration makes you think you're riding a jack-hammer but it smooths out quickly and is very smooth at highway speeds for a single. Those hand fairings and windshield do a surprisingly good job of keeping wind and junk off the rider. For the price you can't find a better all 'rounder. If you have the slightest interest in this bike just go get it. Show less

I trade in my shadow spirit for this monster. After the test drive it was all over, but the paper signing. I love this machine. Very fast and light. Thought about the 929 but was not sure on the comfort. Would like to get a Hayabusa in a couple of years. This is perfect for now. More then enough bike for anyone! Show less

First the bad news – it ain’t a Harley. On the other hand, I haven’t ridden a Harley regularly since the shovelhead era, so that’s not a factor at my house. My 1999 Nomad is almost everything that I hoped my earlier bikes would be; stylish, reliable, and comfortable on the long road, as well as modestly priced. And it is certainly all of those things; but, frankly, engine power is only about on par with a good, healthy 80-inch shovelhead HD, in my opinion – and mine, like many 1999 models, refuses to shift fast. Performance wise, Goldwings and even Fathead HDs can usually walk away from me (mine is the carbureted model, and I weigh 270#s). On the other hand, the Nomad has almost no quirks from a comfort, maintenance or performance standpoint. Gas and an occasional oil-change is about all that is required. On a recent 2500 mile summer tour (a little over 1250# in touring trim, with passenger and gas), the Nomad consistently turned in 38-41mpg. Total oil consumption was less than a half a pint (about 200cc, 20W50 synthetic-blend). Out of habit from my Limey and Harley riding days, I carried a fairly large tool kit and spare parts inventory, but only used about 12 inches of parachute cord to replace a piece I had lost. Reliability was just wonderful. No pings (even when heavy, climbing through the Alleghenies) on 87-89 octane and nothing rattled loose. I did blow the air-shock balance tube, but that wasn’t a Kawasaki part, so I can’t blame the Nomad. Easy fix, anyway. We bought our Nomad used, after reading a lot about it. The first year we put about 7000 miles on it, replaced the rear Bridgestone with a Metzler (wonderful) and added a throttle lock. Otherwise we’ve done very little other than the most routine maintenance. With overhead cams, dual-plug heads, shaft drive and a quality finish, this is what Milwaukee should have been building. Oh, the brakes – wonderful! And while the top-end power isn’t breath-taking, the low-end torque means you can moonlight competing in tractor-pulls. Like some, I do wish my Nomad had at least a 5.0 gallon gas tank (like the newer FI models), but truthfully it has only been a factor once when I was trying to punch through a 130++ mile rain-squall, and even then 4.2 still left over a gallon and a half in reserve. It has always started easily (even in sub-freezing weather), and while I have in mind a few doodads, I’m not remotely in the market for a replacement. Show less

I've had my '99 Vulcan Classic 800 now for about 6 months...bought it off the original owner after being away from bike riding for 20 years. It has V&H pipes and the carb's been jetted, plus a few extras for comfort. I've only added a light bar. Finally, the wife said it was okay (don't you dare say you don't know what I'm talking about!). Anyway...this bike has far exceeded my initial expectations. It has been a real pleasure to ride and with about 3700 miles on it when I got it...I've put another 2000 miles on the odometer just riding on weekends. Sure, for a cruiser it could use a few improvements...like a bit more power, a better seat for the longer rides, and maybe better handling for those of you who ride the twisties more often than the open road. Even after buying it...I thought I'd be looking to trade up to a 1500 or maybe even one of the new 1600's within the year, because I never thought the 800 would be enough for me...but I gotta tell ya...what I use this bike for...crusing around town and short to medium length rides (less than 150 miles)...it has performed abso "damn" lutely flawlessly. The engine is so smooth and gives solid power (more than you expect for the hp) it has a creamy ride. The transmission does "clunk" a bit from 2nd to 3rd and so on...The Kawa dealer said it is mormal for Vulcan's and I've gotten used to it and hardly notice any more. All in all...I just can't bring myself to part with this wonderful machine....as much as I think I would like a larger bike. It is so beautiful with all the chrome and styling (much better than many others in the category). No offense to the harleys, yamahas, suzukis and so on...but this bike rocks when it comes to all around styling and looks. Maybe it's not the fastest cruiser bike on the market or doesn't have the best ergonomics or anything else the others claim to be...but, I give it very high marks on "fun factor". And you know what else?...you won't break the bank to buy one. I believe you can get a new Vulcan 800 for about $6,500. For that kind of money, you just can't get much more bang for the buck! I highly recommend it for those of you looking for a solid, fun, middleweight crusier that looks absolutely awesome, runs great with a few mods and is extremely dependable. Go for it and keep the metal side up and your rubber on the road! Show less